ESPLANADE WEST (OBAN) LIMITED

🌳Matureactive
SC061928 · ltd · incorporated 1977-03-14
Investment thesis
Property vehicle with leveraged stack — refinance / partial-release angle.
Why interesting: Asset-backed; value largely in underlying property; lender engagement likely possible.
Why risky: Multiple lenders to manage; inter-creditor friction and partial-release cost possible.
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Mar 2025
Net worth
£2.90M
book net assets
Opportunity
73/100
Strong
🔔
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What this business does
Primary activity: Hotels and similar accommodation
Sector: Accommodation & food service
ALSO REGISTERED FOR
  • 68209Other letting and operating of own or leased real estate
Investor take
Pursue
Active trading company. Family succession underway — not a classic acquisition target.

Opportunity 73/100 (strong), bankability 57/100. Same-surname younger director in place — likely family handover, not open to sale. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Consolidate lender relationships. 5 distinct lenders creates friction — refinance into single-lender structure for cleaner diligence. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (58/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

8 live charges · 5 lenders · oldest 48.6y

35/100
too messy

Refinance path is blocked by complexity. Rethink structure or expect bespoke, expensive terms.

  • · Oldest live charge is 48.6 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · 5 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
  • · Legal-friction score 35/100 — workable, but lender will want more DD.

Data confidence

Overall: medium (78/100)

Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.

Company profile
address, 2 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
2 years of iXBRL accounts extracted (YoY deltas available) + narrative notes parsed
75
Lenders & charges
8 charges (8/8 with lender, 8/8 with type)
90
Directors & officers
5 officers (2 active, 5 linked, 4 with DOB)
86
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 3 total, 3 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
106 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
73/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional 

Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.

Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
55
Some acquirability indicators.
Risk profile
77
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.

Signals from accounts

Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declared
Positive net assets
Net assets £2,902,336
Cash YoY
+32%
Year on year

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
£1.6m
↑ 32% YoY
Net Worth
£2.9m
↑ 10% YoY
Current Assets
£1.6m
↑ 32% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
£0£580k£1.2m£1.7m£2.3m£2.9mMar 2024Mar 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown
Metric2025-03-312024-03-31
Total assets£2.91M£2.65M
Current assets£1.61M£1.22M
Cash£1.58M£1.20M
Debtors£33.3k£22.7k
Net assets£2.90M£2.64M

Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.

🔒Filing-note intelligence

1 signal detected in this company's narrative notes — going-concern language, audit opinion, contingent liabilities, related-party transactions.

Available from the Pro tier upwards.

See pricing →

Recent activity

Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
1
filing
  • • 1 officers
Last 180 days
1
filing
  • • 1 officers
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (35 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-02-26
    ➕
    NICHOLSON, Pamela Margaret appointed
    director
  2. 2026-02-26
    📄
    appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP01
  3. 2025-09-09
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  4. 2025-08-04
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  5. 2024-11-06
    ➖
    NICHOLSON, Margaret Ann resigned
    director
  6. 2024-07-25
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  7. 2023-11-20
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  8. 2023-10-18
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  9. 2023-02-14
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  10. 2022-03-16
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  11. 2021-01-14
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  12. 2020-12-16
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  13. 2020-12-16
    📄
    termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM02
  14. 2020-03-21
    ➖
    NICHOLSON, Ian resigned
    secretary
  15. 2020-03-21
    ➖
    NICHOLSON, Ian resigned
    director
  16. 2019-12-19
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  17. 2019-02-26
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  18. 2019-02-26
    📄
    cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
  19. 2019-02-26
    📄
    cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
  20. 2018-11-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  21. 2017-12-21
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  22. 2016-11-22
    ➕
    NICHOLSON, Alasdair Ian appointed
    director
  23. 1997-06-04
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #1
  24. 1993-03-17
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #4
  25. 1993-03-17
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #3
  26. 1993-03-17
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #2
  27. 1993-02-15
    🔒
    Charge registered #8
    Lender: Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company
  28. 1993-01-18
    🔒
    Charge registered #7
    Lender: Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company
  29. 1993-01-18
    🔒
    Charge registered #6
    Lender: Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company
  30. 1988-04-29
    🔒
    Charge registered #5
    Lender: Scottish & Newcastle Breweries PLC
  31. 1981-07-30
    🔒
    Charge registered #4
    Lender: Scottish & Newcastle Breweries LTD
  32. 1981-01-28
    🔒
    Charge registered #3
    Lender: H I D B
  33. 1977-09-29
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: The Highlands and Islands Development Board
  34. 1977-09-28
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company
  35. 1977-03-14
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As ESPLANADE WEST (OBAN) LIMITED

Owner dependency

66/100
High — earn-out structure required

Material founder dependency. Consider a 2-3 year earn-out and build in a handover plan before completion.

FACTORS
  • +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
  • +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.

Red flags

1 med ·
Charge satisfaction-then-recreation pattern
medium

Multiple instances where a charge was satisfied and a new charge created within 6 months. Suggests active refinancing cycle.

Shareholders & ownership

1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Alasdair Ian Nicholson
Individual · British · DOB 05/1969 · age 57
75–100%
75–100%75-100% shares · 75-100% voting06/04/2016
2 historic (ceased) PSCs
  • Ian Nicholsonceased 06/12/2018· 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting
  • Margaret Ann Nicholsonceased 06/12/2018· 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting

From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.

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Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions

7 specific questions generated from this company's actual signals — liquidity, leverage, director age, charge count, red flags, age-of-company.

Available from the Pro tier upwards.

See pricing →
🔒Advanced scoring suite

Exit-route ranking, improvement thesis, quiet-distress detector, covenant-pressure proxy, extraction monitor, approaching triggers, ownership drift, local cluster, value trap, debt capacity, archetype classification — 48+ scoring modules.

Available from the Pro tier upwards.

See pricing →

Company details

Statusactive
Typeltd
Incorporated1977-03-14
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC55100 — Hotels and similar accommodation

Registered office

Esplanade Court
Corran Esplanade
Oban
Argyll
PA34 5PW

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-11-05
Last: 2025-10-22

Officers (2 active · 3 resigned)

NICHOLSON, Alasdair Ian→
director · ~57y · appointed 2016-11-22
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
NICHOLSON, Pamela Margaret→
director · ~52y · appointed 2026-02-26
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
NICHOLSON, Ian→
secretary · resigned 2020-03-21
Resigned
NICHOLSON, Ian→
director · ~92y · resigned 2020-03-21
Resigned
NICHOLSON, Margaret Ann→
director · ~93y · resigned 2024-11-06
Resigned

Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.

Mortgages & charges

8
Total charges
4
Outstanding
2
Active lenders
Status:Lender:8 of 8 shown
TypeProperties
outstanding
Virgin Money
Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company
Floating charge1 property15/02/1993—
outstanding
Virgin Money
Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company
Standard security1 property18/01/1993—
outstanding
Virgin Money
Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company
Standard security1 property18/01/1993—
outstanding
Scottish & Newcastle Breweries
Scottish & Newcastle Breweries PLC
Supplementary minute of agreement1 property29/04/1988—
satisfied
Scottish & Newcastle Breweries
Scottish & Newcastle Breweries LTD
Standard security1 property30/07/198117/03/1993
satisfied
H I D B
Standard security1 property28/01/198117/03/1993
satisfied
The Highlands and Islands Development Board
Standard security1 property29/09/197717/03/1993
satisfied
Virgin Money
Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company
Standard security1 property28/09/197704/06/1997
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (106 total)

appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2026-02-26
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-10-22
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2025-09-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-08-04
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-10-24
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-07-25
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-11-20
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2023-11-20
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-10-18
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-02-14
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-11-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-03-16
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-11-02
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-01-14
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-12-16